A growing number of marketers have drunk the brand evangelist Kool-Aid and it's a pleasure to listen to what they are saying. An evangelist is not just a loyal or even a super loyal customer - it's not even someone who fervently believes in your product - it's someone who cares about it - who takes it to heart.
And in the age of social marketing, your evangelist can and often does tell everyone they know about you, who then tell everyone they know, and it keeps going for a long time.
People sleep on the streets for the latest version of the iPhone. Need I say more?
I just ghostwrote an article for a CMO about brand evangelism which should appear in major media soon - and will share as soon as I can. What was fascinating is she talked about the evangelist in the non-profit world and what can be done to build them in corporate. Stay tuned.
The social marketing world is all about evangelism - and a growing number of highly respected, and quite rich marketing consultants are out there preaching it like the gospel. Vocus, the Beltsville-based cloud marketing software company, began a leadership series in August with the current crop of gurus - Seth Godin, Dorie Clark and Rohit Barghava among them. They make a case for building a network of evangelists and how to keep them once you get them. What they say is nothing earthshattering, but the way they put it hits home. And it's blissfully short - one message each. Evidently there's more to come.
Brand evangelism is a beautiful thing, isn't it? The part to note here is that the best brand evangelists come from organic, positive brand experiences - which all brands should strive to create. Your customers can be a valuable third-party marketing resource - because their peers trust what they say about your brand, not what you say about your brand. The consumer world is fascinating! Anyway, thanks for sharing the Vocus State of Marketing series Aimee, we're honored that you thought to write about it!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Stacey Miller
Social Media Manager @Vocus
It is really good to have an evangelist of your brand.... It's also a free marketing of your product. I'll check that article which you have ghost written and learn more about brand evangelism.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing the Marketing series Aimee,
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